This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art, which may be associated with exemplary embodiments of the present techniques, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with information to facilitate a better understanding of particular aspects of the present techniques. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not necessarily as admissions of prior art.
The production of hydrocarbons, such as oil and gas, has been performed for numerous years. To produce these hydrocarbons, one or more wells in a field are typically drilled to subsurface locations, which are generally referred to as subterranean formations, reservoirs or basins. The process of producing hydrocarbons from the subsurface formations typically involves drilling one or more wells to access the subsurface formations. With the wells drilled, completion and stimulation activities or operations may be utilized to produce the hydrocarbons, such as oil and gas, from the subsurface formations.
Because a single well may be utilized to access various regions of subsurface formations, drilling multiple wells from a single location, such as a surface pad or offshore platform, may be beneficial for certain applications. For example, in an offshore application, wells are routinely drilled from a single offshore platform due to the substantial platform installation and operational costs. Also, drilling of multiple wells from a single surface pad on land may reduce surface disturbance and environmental impact associated with well construction activities. Further, well construction activities for multiple wells at a single location may be effectively managed in the presence of surface constraints, such as topography, proximity to other buildings, and existing surface easements and right-of-ways. As such, wells located on a single surface pad may be utilized to reduce costs and enhance operations.
Despite the benefits from having multiple wells at a single location, certain combinations of operations may be complicated, restricted, or prevented by the presence of multiple wells. That is, when performing completion operations on one of the wells, the operations performed on other wells may be limited. For instance, when stimulating a well on a surface pad having multiple wells, stimulation operations are typically performed on only the single well. When the well is being stimulated, equipment and personnel have to wait because the stimulation operations are performed in a sequential manner and initiation of additional wellbore preparation operations may be deferred until completion of the stimulation operations. As a result, equipment and personnel are not efficiently utilized at the surface pad.
Accordingly, the need exists for a method, apparatus and system for enhancing operations involving multiple wells on a surface pad to reduce the time and cost associated with stimulation treatments. In particular, there is a need for new apparatus, method, and system to enable reliable and cost-effective execution of concurrent or simultaneous wellbore preparation and stimulation operations in multiple wellbores located at a single surface location.
For additional information please reference Ammer et al., “Unconventional Gas: Reserve Opportunities and Technology Needs”, GasTIPS, Fall 2004, pp. 22-26; U.S. Pat. No. 5,890,536; U.S. Pat. No. 6,186,230; U.S. Pat. No. 6,394,184, U.S. Pat. No. 6,520,255, U.S. Pat. No. 6,543,538, U.S. Pat. No. 6,575,247; U.S. Pat. No. 6,672,405; U.S. Patent Publication No. 2003/0075335; and/or U.K. Patent No. 1,243,062; and/or U.K. Patent No. 2,028,400.